f 


C(o-risT 


(^Ul  Vt2, 

A Call  to  a Forward  Movement 


by  the 


Christian  Church  of  China 


(Adopted  by  the  National  Christian  Council  of  China, 
At  Its  Third  Annual  Meeting  Held  at  Shanghai, 


May  13-20,  1925.) 


<£>■ 


Issued  by  the 

Committee  of  Reference  and  Counsel, 
Foreign  Missions  Conference  of  North  America 
25  Madison  Avenue, 

New  York  City 


A FORWARD  MOVEMENT  BY  THE 
CHRISTIAN  CHURCH 

The  National  Christian  Council  of  China  at  its  third  annual  meeting  held  at 
Shanghai,  May  13-20,  1925  adopted  a call  for  a “Forward  Movement  by  the  Christian 
Church  of  China.”  Bishop  Logan  S.  Roots,  D.D.,  of  Hankow,  China,  who  has  just 
reached  New  York,  has  kindly  provided  the  following  English  translation. 

The  National  Christian  Council  of  China  greets  the  Churches 
throughout  China  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord 
and  Saviour.  Gathered  in  Shanghai  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  we  have  spent  much  time  in  considering  the  state  of 
the  Church  and  the  needs  of  China.  We  believe  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  calls  us  all  to  a definite  forward  movement  in 
and  by  the  Church  in  order  that  we  may  better  serve  the 
people  as  a whole. 

Are  not  the  notes  of  this  forward  movement  three — truth, 
freedom  and  love?  Let  us  sound  forth  these  notes  with 
courage  and  clearness ! 

TRUTH 

The  Christian  Church  believes  in  the  majesty  of  truth.  We 
must  seek  truth  with  all  our  hearts,  speak  it  with  courage, 
act  upon  it  whatever  the  consequences.  To  those  who  say 
it  matters  not  what  one  believes  we  answer  there  is  an  eternal 
difference  between  truth  and  falsehood.  To  believe  the  former 
is  life  indeed;  to  believe  the  latter  is  fatal.  The  Church  is 
called  to  set  forth  the  truth  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  revelation 
of  the  Father  and  that  in  Him  there  is  salvation  for  men 
and  nations.  We  have  no  cause  to  apologize  for  this  truth 
or  to  fear  for  it.  We  welcome  all  honest  enquiry,  and  we 
know  that  even  bitter  attacks  and  wilful  misrepresentations 
cannot  alter  the  facts  on  which  the  Christian  Church  rests. 
But  this  truth  is  not  simply  a matter  of  past  history.  The 
triumphant  witness  to  truth  rests  upon  the  personal  experience 
of  the  living  Christ  in  His  Church  today.  This  truth  will 
be  passed  by  contagion  from  one  to  another  as  it  transforms 
our  own  lives.  This  is  the  chief  method  of  evangelism. 

Christianity  welcomes  truth  wherever  it  may  be  found.  The 
great  truths  seen  by  China’s  sages  come  from  the  one  source 
of  all  truth  which  is  in  God.  The  Church  needs  to  make  a 
far  larger  use  of  Chinese  literature  as  a preparation  for  the 
full  light  to  be  found  in  Jesus  Christ.  We  ask  missionaries 
to  study  this  literature  with  greater  care  and  appreciation. 


3 


We  ask  schools  to  give  it  a larger  place  in  the  curriculum. 
We  plan,  through  our  own  Committee,  to  make  special  studies 
in  this  field  during  the  year  so  that  all  that  is  of  worth  in 
Chinese  thought,  culture  and  customs  may  be  retained  and 
passed  on  unimpaired  and  even  enriched  to  the  new  generation. 
In  particular  we  plan  to  study  whether  the  Church  cannot 
help  its  members  to  preserve  and  Christianize  China’s  inval- 
uable sense  of  corporate  family  life  to  commemorate  ancestors 
and  to  maintain  more  fitly  the  attitude  of  respect  to  parents. 

Even  in  our  own  schools  and  churches  there  are  many 
who  fall  far  short  in  their  apprehension  of  truth.  If  we  are 
to  give  the  message  we  must  have  better  education  in  the 
Christian  religion  and  particularly  in  the  Bible  itself.  We 
ask  all  who  teach  to  consider  the  content  of  their  religious 
teaching,  to  use  the  very  best  methods  and  to  pay  heed  to 
their  own  spiritual  lives  that  through  them  the  truth  may  be 
passed  on  to  their  pupils.  We  are  planning  to  give  thought 
and  attention  to  this  matter  through  the  year  and  we  suggest 
the  value  of  retreats  for  teachers  where  these  matters  can 
be  prayerfully  faced. 

We  do  not  pretend  to  know  all  truth.  We  want  to  main- 
tain the  scientific  spirit  ever  eager  to  discover  more,  ever  willing 
to  re-state  and  re-examine.  There  is  no  conflict  whatever 
between  true  science  and  true  religion.  But  humbly  and  with 
confidence  we  call  our  brethren  to  set  forth  courageously  the 
fact  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Himself  the  Truth  and  to  show  how 
the  nation  may  be  saved  through  Him.  It  is  often  hard  to 
follow  truth.  It  tears  away  the  comfort  of  falsehoods  and 
half-truths.  But  such  comfort  leads  to  disaster.  This  is  the 
same  with  individual,  church  or  nation.  Let  us  dare  to  be  true! 

FREEDOM 

The  Church  holds  the  principle  of  freedom  to  be  funda- 
mental and  vital.  This  principle  rests  upon  the  worth  of 
each  man  before  God.  Because  Christ  loved  men  and  died 
to  save  them  and  set  them  free  from  the  bondage  of  sin  we 
know  that  men  are  of  infinite  value  to  God  our  Father.  We 
proclaim  the  rights  of  all  men,  women  and  children,  and  we 
must  work  for  recognition  of  those  rights  just  because  we  are 
named  by  the  name  of  Christ. 

It  is  by  some  supposed  that  the  Church  depends  upon  and 


4 


is  subservient  to  earthly  governments.  That  churches  in  the 
past  have  sometimes  failed  in  this  particular  is  clearly  seen 
in  history.  It  is  therefore  all  the  more  necessary  that  the 
Church  in  China  make  clear  that  it  is  a spiritual  body  owing 
allegiance  only  to  God  our  Father  and  to  Jesus  Christ  its  living 
Head.  The  Christian  should  love  his  country,  strive  for  its 
freedom  and  be  loyal  to  its  laws.  Only  if  those  laws  are  not 
in  harmony  with  divine  principles  dare  he  disobey  them.  To 
the  Christian  freedom  is  not  lack  of  all  restraint,  but  true 
freedom  means  the  increasing  substitution  of  inward  for  out- 
ward control  as  man’s  spirit  makes  progress  towards  its  goal. 
The  Christian  religion,  then,  can  never  be  forced  upon  a man 
or  a nation.  We  feel  called  upon  to  consider  carefully  whether 
in  any  degree  we  have  departed  from  this  principle  in  our 
teaching  of  religion. 

In  particular  it  is  clear  to  us  that  there  is  still  a lack  of 
the  most  effective  Chinese  leadership  in  the  Church  due  not 
so  much  to  scarcity  of  potential  leaders  as  to  a failure  to 
secure  conditions  under  which  real  leadership  can  develop.  We 
call  the  churches,  missions  and  institutions  of  higher  learning 
to  study  this  question  in  order  to  see  how  far  the  hindrance 
lies  in  the  foreign  type  of  organization  which  gives  little  scope 
to  the  genius  of  the  Chinese  people  and  how  far  the  control 
of  work  by  foreign  organizations  and  finance  creates  conditions 
unacceptable  to  those  who  might  come  forward.  Bold  action 
is  needed  in  providing  larger  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of 
initiative  and  the  right  of  experiment  in  re-shaping  policy 
and  in  helping  young  leaders  to  work  their  way  through  the 
initial  difficulties.  Above  all  it  is  in  comradeship,  in  the  closest 
fellowship  between  older  and  younger,  between  missionary  and 
Chinese,  that  this  problem  will  be  solved.  These  are  days 
of  transition  and  the  path  to  freedom  may  be  painful  for  all 
concerned.  The  goal,  however,  must  never  be  in  doubt. 

Democracy  has  not  always  found  Church  organizations 
which  could  meet  its  demands.  For  this  reason  it  is  necessary 
that  the  Church  in  China  shows  clearly  that  it  cares  intensely 
and  passionately  for  freedom.  To  set  forth  our  Gospel  without 
any  form  of  compulsion,  but  so  that  all  may  freely  take;  to 
work  out  in  our  Church  life  the  best  in  Democracy  and  not 
to  get  into  political  methods  which  mar  the  spiritual  harmony 
— these  are  part  of  the  Church’s  task  in  her  forward  movement. 


5 


To  take  the  path  of  freedom  always  involves  grave  risks. 
There  is  a price  to  pay  which  we  cannot  evade.  Let  us  dare 
to  be  free! 

LOVE 

The  Christian  Church  is  the  creation  of  the  God  of  love. 
Its  every  act  and  thought  should  be  an  expression  of  love — 
such  love  as  we  see  shining  forth  from  the  life  of  our  Lord 
and  supremely  from  the  Cross.  For  Christ  first  loved  us 
and  gave  Himself  for  the  Church  and  we  have  no  right  to 
be  called  by  His  name  unless  we  love  one  another  and  all  men. 
If  we  can  show  this  love  by  the  close  personal  relations  between 
missionaries  and  Chinese,  between  learned  and  unlearned,  be- 
tween master  and  servant  inside  the  borders  of  the  Church, 
we  thereby  become  a bright  and  shining  light  to  all  the  nation. 
If  we  can  meet  those  who  criticize  us  with  patience,  forgive- 
ness and  a great  desire  to  help  them  even  in  humble  ways, 
we  may  bring  them  to  understand  that  Christianity  is  not  an 
aggressive  and  dangerous  power  in  the  midst  of  the  nation, 
but  rather  points  the  way  to  harmony. 

Alas ! Christendom  seems  to  many  to  be  expressing  itself 
more  by  gunboats  and  armies  than  by  gentleness  and  forgive- 
ness. The  aggressive  manifestation  of  western  civilization  is 
no  part  of  the  Christian  Gospel.  We  have  to  admit  that  no 
country  is  truly  Christian  and  that  many  so-called  are  still, 
in  some  of  their  relations  with  other  countries,  denying  Christ. 
This  whole  question  is  very  difficult  to  understand  for  those 
who  have  received  Christianity  from  the  very  same  countries 
which  have  menaced  and  injured  China  in  the  past  and  which 
maintain  huge  armies  and  navies  today.  Scarcely  less  difficult 
is  the  position  of  the  missionary  who  desires  to  dissociate 
himself  from  all  that  is  un-Christian  in  his  own  nation,  but 
who  has  a responsibility  to  it  as  a citizen  in  a free  country. 
We  are  planning  to  make  the  most  careful  study  of  this  matter 
so  that  when  we  next  meet  we  may  be  able  to  see  clearly  what 
in  the  present  situation  in  China  is  the  expression  of  the 
Christian  way  of  love. 

Further,  we  would  call  on  the  Mission  Boards  to  pay  very 
special  attention  to  the  need  for  a right  attitude  of  respect 
for  and  understanding  of  China  on  the  part  of  those  who 
come  out  as  missionaries.  It  is  possible  by  failure  here  to  do 


6 


harm  rather  than  good  even  when  the  intentions  are  admirable. 
While  recognizing  an  attitude  of  increasing  friendliness  towards 
China  on  the  part  of  foreign  Powers  generally  we  believe 
that  when  foreign  governments  carry  out  aggressive  designs 
in  China  or  fail  to  show  due  respect  to  her  as  a member  of 
the  family  of  nations,  Christian  love  calls  for  plain-speaking 
especially  by  the  Christian  citizens  of  the  country  concerned. 
In  the  past  it  cannot  be  denied  that  there  has  been  failure  in 
this  matter. 

Love  prompts  us  to  care  intensely  for  the  oppressed  and 
this  is  especially  the  case  with  large  classes  who  are  perpetually 
dowm-trodden.  The  forward  movement  of  the  Church  needs 
to  include  a determined  effort  to  improve  the  condition  of 
the  workers,  and  the  relation  between  employer  and  employee 
and  a fearless  handling  of  all  that  is  contrary  to  love  in  the 
social  and  industrial  life. 

What  a vast  field  of  endeavour  opens  before  us!  Love 
is  no  mere  word  to  pass  lightly  from  lip  to  lip.  Love  means 
a way  of  life  that  involves  hard  thinking,  patient  toil,  suffering 
and  it  might  even  be  death.  Love  lived  out  by  the  Church 
is  the  one  triumphant  answer  to  any  who  may  oppose  her. 
It  was  Christ’s  answer  on  the  cross — Let  us  dare  to  love. 

A FORWARD  MOVEMENT 

A forward  movement  by  the  Church  on  these  lines  will 
naturally  draw  to  itself  the  best  elements  in  the  country;  it 
will  knit  the  Christian  and  the  Scientist  in  patient  search  for 
truth ; it  will  show  how  to  ground  democracy  on  unshakable 
foundations ; it  will  give  passion  and  power  to  all  movements 
for  social  betterment. 

In  this  movement  the  Chinese  Church  still  needs  the  co- 
operation of  its  missionary  friends,  less  in  the  future  than  in 
the  past  as  those  in  authority ; increasingly  as  comrades,  willing 
to  give  the  highest  gifts  of  scholarship,  Christian  experience 
and  brotherly  love  in  the  spirit  of  the  servant.  For  such  a 
movement  the  generous  giving  of  Chinese  and  foreign  friends 
is  needed,  but  the  gifts  should  be  made  available  in  such’  a 
way  that  they  impose  no  restraint  on  the  free  movement  of 
the  living  spirit. 

Thus  will  the  missionary  movement  to  China  lose  itself  in 
the  forward  movement  of  the  Christian  Church  in  China. 


7 


Thus  will  the  Church  establish  itself  unmistakably  before  the 
nation  as  the  representative  of  a spiritual  religion  rooted  and 
grounded  in  love. 

What  will  be  the  characteristic  activities  of  such  a move- 
ment? We  would  briefly  enumerate  ten: 

1.  The  blameless  life  of  the  individual,  the  maintenance  of 
Church  life  and  fellowship  and  the  exhibition  of  personal  relation- 
ships within  the  Church  which  explain  to  all  the  meaning  of  Christ's 
way  of  life. 

2.  Continued  proclamation  of  the  Gospel  without  patronage  or 
compulsion  and  particularly  by  each  individual  in  his  own  sphere 
so  that  Christ  may  be  presented  with  compelling  power  as  the 
Saviour  both  of  individuals  and  of  the  nation. 

3.  Retreats  wherein  an  intimate  fellowship  is  developed  in  the 
study  of  the  Bible,  in  prayer  and  in  facing  the  deeper  issues  of 
our  life  and  work. 

4.  The  improvement  of  our  religious  education  in  school  and 
church  that  it  may  meet  the  actual  need  of  the  student  and  enable 
him  clearly  to  grasp  the  meaning  of  Christianity. 

5.  A large  output  of  literature  spontaneously  produced  under 
no  compulsion  but  that  of  the  Spirit  to  meet  the  many  new  ques- 
tions arising  today,  and  to  stimulate  creative  thinking  in  the  Church. 

6.  Patient  and  loving  cooperation  between  missionary  and 
Chinese  in  seeking  a solution  of  the  intricate  problems  of  this 
transition  stage  in  the  Church’s  life. 

7.  A thorough  and  sympathetic  study  of  Chinese  culture  and 
literature  and  a greater  use  thereof  in  teaching  and  preaching. 

8.  A careful  study  of  the  international  situation  in  the  Far 
East  and  a determined  attempt  to  apply  the  principles  of  Christ 
in  this  field. 

9.  A united  and  vigorous  crusade  against  the  social  evils  which 
bring  the  people  into  bondage  and  particularly  against  opium  and 
militarism. 

10.  A new  attempt  to  work  out  the  meaning  of  Christian  love 

in  the  home,  in  the  factory,  in  business,  in  every  sphere  of  life, 

all  of  which  must  be  claimed  as  fit  fields  for  the  actual  expression 

of  the  principles  of  our  religion. 

The  National  Christian  Council  puts  forth  this  call  with 
a full  sense  of  past  mistakes  and  of  our  weakness  in  the  face 

of  many  grave  evils.  Nevertheless  it  is  put  forth  in  the  con- 

fident belief  that,  as  we  listen,  we  shall  hear  in  these  days 
what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the  Churches  and  that  the  call  of  God 
always  brings  the  assurance  that  His  infinite  wisdom,  love  and 
power  are  available  for  those  who  dare  to  obey.  Let  us  not 
be  disobedient  to  the  heavenly  vision. 


8 


